Here are five things to watch and consider as we get ready for tipoff of an unusually important early-January weekend of ACC basketball:

1. How big of a game is N.C. State-Duke, really?

NC State's Mark Gottfried and Lorenzo Brown have a lot to gain today

Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried began downplaying the significance of today’s showdown with the top-ranked Blue Devils almost immediately after Wednesday’s win against Georgia Tech. But while he’s technically right about the game counting as only one in the standings, deep down he knows that it’s so much more important – especially for his team. This, after all, is the hump State can never seem to get over. Upsetting the nation’s No. 1 team wouldn’t just garner headlines and put Gottfried’s team atop the very early ACC standings, it would also be a statement that the Wolfpack is for real and worthy of the preseason hype it received. For Duke, today’s game is an opportunity to prove it can play and win in a hostile environment – something it has yet to do this season – while maintaining its undefeated record and No. 1 ranking. It’s a game everyone will be watching, and it should be fun. But like the man said, it’s only one game. And its still only January.

2. How much will the Blue Devils miss Ryan Kelly?

Duke is going to miss Ryan Kelly, but still has plenty of options

Clearly, Duke will miss the 13 points and six rebounds Kelly is averaging, along with his 52-percent shooting from 3-point range. But it’s also had to replace his senior experience, as well as his 6-foot-10 length and versatility both inside and on the perimeter. And yet, the “indefinite” loss of Kelly to a reoccurring foot injury shouldn’t be the death knell to the Blue Devils’ championship hopes either today against State or long-term if the problem turns out to be worse than expected. Remember who’s coaching the team. Mike Krzyzewski is only the winningest coach in college history. And in 2001, he transformed managed his team around a similar foot injury to star center Carlos Boozer much later in the year to win a national championship. In this case, Krzyzewski has plenty of options from which to choose – either junior Josh Hairston or freshman Amile Jefferson if he wants to concentrate on rebounding and defense, or freshman Alex Murphy if he wants more perimeter offense. He could also decide to go small and play guard Tyler Thornton along with three other guards and center Mason Plumlee. While none of those options are as good as Kelly, at least right now, there’s a lot of other teams in the ACC right now that would love to have them.

3. How much trouble is North Carolina in?

Times have been tough lately for Marcus Paige and his young Tar Heels

We’ll know more after today’s game against Florida State in Tallahassee. And even then, if they lose again today, it’s still too early to make a broad judgment about the young Tar Heels. The last time they got off to an 0-3 start in the ACC, in 1997, they recovered to win 11 games and went on to play in the Final Four. That team had a roster that included stars such as Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and Ed Cota. Though this year’s team doesn’t seem as blessed with individual talent, it still has plenty of capable players from which to draw. The question is, will they eventually grow together as a team, or are they simply a mismatched set that will continue to struggle all season? In order to win today at a place in which it got beat by 33 with a much better team last year, UNC will not only need a more consistent performance from point guard Marcus Paige and his fellow freshmen big men, but veterans James Michael McAdoo, Reggie Bullock and especially Dexter Strickland are going to have to improve their contribution, too.

4. Is Miami really this good?

Kenny Kadji is one of a stable of veteran players leading Miami to a 2-0 ACC start

A lot of people were ready to write the Hurricanes off after they lost senior center Reggie Johnson to a broken hand, then lost back-to-back games over the holiday break in Hawaii. But now that they’ve returned to the mainland, gotten over their jet lag and adjusted to Johnson’s absence, coach Jim Larranaga’s team has quickly established itself as a potential ACC contender. Miami’s 2-0 start, it’s best ever since entering the league, is no fluke. Both wins are on the road, against Georgia Tech and North Carolina. It has a diverse, veteran lineup led by multi-purpose big man Kenny Kadji, slashing guard Durand Scott, 3-point marksman Rion Brown and a rapidly improving young point guard Shane Larkin. The Hurricanes are also starting to brimming with confidence. A win in their league home opener against Maryland on Sunday could turn out to be the springboard for even bigger things to come.

5. Which “bottom feeder” has of the most potential for growth, WakeForest or BostonCollege?

Wake Forest has a veteran leader in guard C.J.Harris

The Deacons and Eagles were picked to be the worst two teams in the ACC before the season, but both are off to better than expected starts in league play. Wake rebounded from an opening (and expected) loss at Duke with an impressive home win against a Virginia team that had just beaten UNC while BC parlayed a strong performance in a loss to N.C. State by taking down Virginia Tech on the road. Both teams have their share of flaws, but both also have attributes that — if they are used and developed properly — could help them rise higher in the standings than anyone thought possible. Coach Jeff Bzdelik’s Deacons have two established stars in C.J. Harris and Travis McKie to lead a group of seven freshmen that only figure to get better as the season goes on. BC is building around future All-ACC talent Ryan Anderson, current ACC Rookie of the Week Joe Rahon and a coach, Steve Donahue, that got Cornell to a Sweet 16. The winner of today’s head-to-head matchup in Winston-Salem will only be 2-1, and it’s still a long season. But hey, 2-1 is still a lot better than 0-3.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the games!

And don’t forget to follow my live updates from the big State-Duke showdown at PNC Arena, starting at noon on Twitter @starnewsacc.